Tuesday, January 12, 2016

The politics of David Bowie

Over the last two days, I investigated the political side of David Bowie. Here is the conclusion: best summed up by Bowie himself. The man said he was apolitical. He is universally described as a "rebel" but I don't know what he was rebelling against, nor did he know. Politically, he went all over the place. He went through a phase in the 1970s when he expressed positive feelings about fascism (and later blamed drugs for that phase) and there is a debate over whether he gave the Nazi salute in one show. He did mocked liberals but from the standpoint that fascist government is most efficient. I think that Bowie was really a rebel in music and style but not in substance. He also said that throughout his travel he became less and less convinced of the appropriateness of any one political philosophy.

Comic by Terry Furry, reproduced from "Heard the One About the Funny Leftist?" by Cris Thompson, East Bay Express

As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.

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